Metallurgical plant



. L .b e e h S s t e e h s 4 H m... Y S R 0 nr. R. a d o M 0 /N\MBTALLURGIGAL PLANT.`

No. 276,384.l

Patented @1224,1883.

N. PETERS. Phmo-umalnplm. wnminmun. Dic.

(No Model.) muetssheen 8.

R. FORSYTH.

METALLURGIGAL PLANT. No. 278,884. Patented Ap1-.24,1888.

N. PErERs. Phubmhogmpmr. wuhingtn. DJ;

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

" R. FORSYTH.

METALLURGIGAL PLANT.

180,278,884. Patented A181824, 1888.

V7171 P/EESEE N. PETERsAPweo mug h (im Model.) 4 sheetssheen r1.1.. R.FORSYTH.

METALLURGIGAL PLANT.

Patented Apr. 24, 1883.

EN .N HN

mfp/.15555 E w n( Q91@ NrTED STATES- Y PATENT @tirreno ROBERT FORSYTH,CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

M ETALLURGICAL PLANT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 276,384, dated April24, 1883i Application filed February 10, 1883.

To all whom it may concern Beit known that I, ROBERT FoasYrH, a citizenof the United States, residing at Chicago, vin the county of Cook andState ot' Illinois,

haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in MetallurgicalPlants, of which the followingis a full, elearfand exact description. Incarrying out the Bessemer or pneumaticandalsotheopen-hearthsteel-makingprocesses ro the usual arrangement ofthe plant is a casting-pit having a ladle-crane in its center, and onone side a pair ot converters or a meltingfurnace. This arrangementnecessarily sorestrcts the available room in the pit for casting ingotsthat less than half the circumference steel by the Bessemer oropen-hearth process,

have lcd to various dispositions of plants, especially Bessemer plants,for securing more room :in the vcasting-pit and for removing thecasting-pit farther from the converters. In-

creasing the diameter ot' the casting-pit gives room in the pit foringots; but as the length of the crane-jib must-be increased with thediameter of the pit great strains are thrown upon the crane, and theapparatusbecomes unwieldy and unsafe. Moreover, this increase in size ofpit does not remove the objectionyof the proximity of the converters orfurnaces to themen at work.

My invention, which obviates' all the abovementioned difficulties,consists in placing between the receiving and casting cranes or theirequivalent mechanism a track, upon which the carriage carryingthe casting-ladle maybe run. This track may beof any convenient length, and itslength will determine the distance to which the casting-pit is removedfrom the converters or furnaces. i

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention as used inconnection with Bessemer plants; but it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that it may be readily applied without materialchange to plants wherein open-hearth furnaces are employed.

Figure I represents a plan view ot' a twovessel plant, and Fig. Il is aplan view of a (No model.)

three-vessel plant, embodying my invention. Fig. III is a view in sideelevation upon line mx of Fig. I. Fig. IV is an enlarged detail view inside elevation ot the transfer-track and 5 5 portion of the crane-jibs.Fig.Vis aplan "iew of the transfer-track and ends ot' the crane-jibs.Fig. 6 is a view partly in end elevation and partly in section on line yy ot' Fig. V.

Referring to the arrangement shown in Figs. 6c

I and III, A designates two Bessemer converters, which are ofordinaryconstruction, and are provided with the usual operatingmechanism. Intermediate these converters, and equidistant therefrom, isplaced the hydraulic receivingcrane B, of well-known form, thejib B ofwhich is furnished with rails, upon which travels the casting-ladle C.At a distance from the crane B, determined by the length of its jib B',is

placed what I designate the transt`er-track,7 7o

consistingoi' the railsD, resting upon. the blocks d, supported on` the`masonry piers D', which extend to the casting-pit E and form the channelD2, for the passage of the casting-ladle, as

clearly shown in Fig. V. The blocks d, which support the track-rails andjib ends, are provided with the inclined planes d2, the purpose of whichis to guide the crane-jibs, furnished at their ends with the rollers r,into ready alignment with the transfer-track. Centrally 8o of thecasting-pit is placed the hydraulic casting-crane F, thcjib F ot' whichextends to the transfer-track. The cranes B and F are pret'- erablyfurnished, as shown, with the usual hydraulic pistons for moving `theladle-carriage, although for this purpose other suitable mechanism maybe employed.

In the three-vessel plant (illustrated in Fig. II) the converters A arearranged in line,and

two receiving-cranes, B, are placed interme- 9c diate the central andouter vessels, two transfer-tracks being in this case employed. Therails of these tracks are supported similarly-to those shown in Figs. Iand Il, but the tracks are placed obliquely to each other and in sucli'g5 position that cach shall be in alignment with the jib of itsreceiving-crane when the latter is brought opposite'to the casting-craneF, commou to both.

The centers l, 2, 3, and 4 indicate the poroo sitions ofthe usual cranesemployed for the purpose ot' lifting out the ingots and transferring theingot-molds w to and from the casting-pit.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: Theladle, having beenplaced upon the receiving-crane, isilled with steel from the converteror furnace, (when thelatter is used,) and thereceiving-crane is thenswung around until the rails of its jib are inline with thetransfer-track and the jib-rails ofthe casting-crane. The receivingcrane-jib is then lowered,its ends being guided by the inclined planesof the blocks d2 until it comes to rest, and is irmly supported by thepiers in line with the transfer-track. The ladle is then transferredfrom the receiving-crane jib to the track, and from the track to the jibof the casting-crane, which carries the ladle successively over theingot-molds.

The advantages resulting from the forego ing construction are, first,the casting-pit may be placed at any desired distance or in any desireddirection from the converters or furnaces 5 second, nearly the wholecircumference of the casting-pit may be used for casting ingots, thusconsiderably increasing the number of ingots that can be handled in agiven pit without lengthening the crane-jib to a danger ous extent; and,third, a smooth and even passage ot' the casting-ladle from crane totrack and from track to crane is secured.

Although in the accompanying drawings I have illustrated hydraulicreceiving and casting cranes which are the most approved constructionot` apparatus for handling the casting-ladle, Ido not wish to beunderstood as restricting the scope of my invention thereto, since it isobvious that any other suitable mechanism may be employed for thispurpose .in connection with my intermediate track.

Thus, if desired, the well-known hydraulic ladle-lift may be used forpresenting the castingladl'e to receive its charge of metal, and theingot-molds, instead of being placed in a pit having a centralcasting-crane, may be carried 'upon a turn-table, which will beseparated from the hydraulic lift by my intermediate track.

` It will also be obvious to those skilled in the art that the detailsof construction above described may be further varied without departingfrom the spirit of the invention. Thus, for example, other means thanthose here shown may be employed for guiding the ends ot' the crane-jibsinto place. So, also, the transfer-track used in connection with thecranes,instead ot' being fixed, may be mounted on a turn-table, so thattheladlemay,when desired,beswitched upon a side track, or when run upona track on each side of which is a row of ingot-molds may have itsposition reversed, so as to bring its tap hole above each row of molds.In some instances the intermediatetrack may be made portable, so that itcan be removed and put in position for use as desired. Again, it

will be apparent that Without material change the track may be placedabove, below, or upon the Working level to correspond to the par ticularconstruction of plant in connection with which it is employed.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a metallurgical plant, the combination, with the receiving andcasting cranes or their equivalents, ot an intermediate track,substantially as described.

2. In a metallurgical plant, the combination, with the tworeceiving-cranes and a casting-crane or their equivalents, of twointermediate transt'er-tracks, substantially as described.

3. In a metallurgical plant, the combination, with the receiving andcasting cranes, ot an intermediate transfer-track and means,substantially as described, for sustaining the ends of the crane-jbs,substantially as set forth.

4. 4In a metallurgical plant, the combina-A tion, with the receiving andcasting cranes or their equivalents, ot' an intermediate transfertrackand means, substantially as described, for guiding the ends of thecrane-jibs into alignment with the track, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto s et my hand this 6th day ofFebruary, 1883.

ROBERT FORSYTH. Witnesses:

GEORGE P. FISHER, Jr., JAMES H. PEIRCE. 1

